Damper
In a damper, a case member has a body, a flange formed at one end of the body, and a bottom formed at the other end of the body. A pin member has a head, that protrudes from an opening of the flange and a shaft that is connected to the head and has a stopper on an end thereof. The bottom has a retaining hole, into which the tip of the shaft is inserted, for stopping the stopper. The body has locking claws, for sandwiching the rim of the mounting hole against the flange.
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The present invention relates to a damper for damping a damping-subject member upon abutment therewith.
BACKGROUND ARTAn automobile has an openable/closable mechanism including a box and a lid such as a glove box. A damper is provided to the edge of a box the glove box. When a lid of the glove box is closed, the damper functions to suppress the collision shook between the lid and the box with the elastic force by abutting on the lid.
The damping part described in Patent Document 1 includes a casing having a bottomed cylindrical shape, a retainer having a bottomed cylindrical shape and housed in the casing, and a spring abutting on the bottom of the casing and the bottom of the retainer to bias the retainer in a direction that the retainer protrudes out from an opening portion of the casing. A retaining protrusion provided on a lateral face of the retainer is engaged into an engagement window provided on a lateral face of the casing, and thereby retaining the retainer the biasing force of the spring.
CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Document 1JP-2009-210001-A
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem that the Invention is to SolveIn the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, in putting the retaining protrusion of the retainer into the engagement window, the retaining protrusion warps inwardly in the radial direction. Thus, it is required to secure a given space between the retaining protrusion and the spring disposed inside of the retainer, which increases the outside diameter of the damping part by the given space. In addition, because the retaining protrusion of the retainer is disposed on the lateral face, the spring is disposed inside of the retainer in the radial direction. Thus, the outside diameters of the retainer and the casing are larger than the spring, which increases the outside diameter of the damping part.
The present invention is made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a damper having a reduced outside diameter.
Means for Solving the ProblemIn order to solve the above-described problem, an aspect of the present invention provides
a damper to be mounted on a mounting hole to thereby damp a damping-subject member upon abutment therewith, the damper including:
a case member including
-
- a main body portion,
- a flange portion provided at one end of the main body portion, and
- a bottom portion provided at the other end of the main body portion;
a pin member including
-
- a head portion that is disposed to protrude out of an opening portion provided to the flange portion, thereby abutting on the damping-subject member, and
- a shaft portion having one end connected to the head portion and the other end provided with a retained portion; and
a spring member housed in the case member while surrounding the shaft portion, the spring member having one end abutting on the pin member and the other end abutting on the case member to bias the pin member in a direction that the pin member protrudes out from the opening portion,
wherein the bottom portion includes a retaining hole formed to receive the other end of the shaft portion to thereby retain the retained portion, and
wherein the main body portion includes an engagement pawl protruding outwardly from a lateral face in a radial direction, the engagement pawl being flexible inwardly in the radial direction, the engagement pawl sandwiching an edge of the mounting hole with the flange portion.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, the retained portion of the pin member is disposed at the bottom portion of the case member, thereby reducing the outside diameter of the case member compared with a case where the retained portion of the pin member is disposed on the lateral face of the case member. In addition, the pin member is disposed inside of the spring member, thereby reducing the outside diameter of the case member toward the outside diameter of the spring member. Thus, the damper 10 can be reduced in size.
Also, another aspect of the present invention provides
a damper to be mounted on a mounting hole to thereby damp a damping-subject member upon abutment therewith, the damper including:
a case member including
-
- a main body portion,
- a flange portion provided at one end of the main body portion, and
- a bottom portion provided at the other end of the main body portion;
a pin member including
-
- a head portion that is disposed to protrude out of an opening portion provided to the flange portion, thereby abutting on the damping-subject member, and
- a shaft portion having one end connected to the head portion and the other end provided with a retained portion; and
a spring member housed in the case member while surrounding the shaft portion, the spring member having one end abutting on the pin member and the other end abutting on the case member to bias the pin member in a direction that the pin member protrudes out from the opening portion,
wherein the main body portion includes an engagement portion formed to be mounted on the mounting hole
wherein the bottom portion includes a retaining hole formed to receive the other end of the shaft portion to thereby retain the retained portion, and
wherein the retaining hole is radially expandable upon insertion of the retained portion thereinto.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, the retained portion of the pin member is disposed at the bottom portion of the case member, thereby reducing the outside diameter of the case member compared with a case where the retained portion of the pin member is disposed on the lateral face of the case member. In addition, pushing the retained portion of the pin member into the retaining hole makes the retaining hole radially expanded, thereby facilitating the assembly operation of the damper.
Advantageous Effects of InventionAccording to the present invention, the outside diameter of the damper can be reduced.
The damper 10 includes a coil-shaped spring member 40, a pin member 20 to be inserted into the spring member 40, and a case member 50 to house the spring member 40. The damper 10 is assembled from these members to be in one unit.
The pin member 20 includes a head portion 22 capable of abutting on the damping-subject member, and a rod-shaped shaft portion 24 connected to the head portion 22 and provided with a retained portion 28 at the distal end, and a spring bearing portion 26 having a flange shape and provided to the shaft portion 24 on the side of the head portion 22.
The head portion 22 is made from a rubber material, and is separated from the main body of the pin member 20 made from a plastics material. The head portion 22 is connected to the main body of the pin member 20 by a connecting portion 30. The shaft portion 24 includes a small-diameter portion 24a including the retained portion 28 and a large-diameter portion 24b including the spring bearing portion 26. The large-diameter portion 24b is larger in diameter than the small-diameter portion 24a including the retained portion 28. The retained portion 28 is formed by the distal end of the small-diameter portion 24a, which extends outwardly in the radial direction.
The case member 50 has a cup shape and includes a main body portion 52, a flange portion 54 including an opening portion 56 and provided at one end of the main body portion 52, and a bottom portion 64 provided at the other end of the main body portion 52. The case member 50 is arranged to be fixed to the edge of the mounting hole. A space to house the pin member 20 and the spring member 40 is provided inside of the main body portion 52, and the housing space communicates with the opening portion 56.
The spring member 40 is housed in the case member 50 while surrounding the shaft portion 24. A first end portion 42 of the spring member 40 abuts on the spring bearing 26 while a second end portion 44 of the spring member 40 abuts on the case member 50. The spring member 40 biases the pin member 20 in a direction that the pin member 20 protrudes out from the opening portion 56. Thus, the head portion 22 of the pin member 20 protrudes out of the opening portion 56. A detailed description of the damper 10 will be provided with reference to
The spring member 40 is housed in the case member 50, and the pin member 20 has its shaft portion 24 housed in the case member 50 while having its head portion 22 protruding outwardly as shown in
The plural engagement pawls 60 for sandwiching the edge of the mounting hole between the engagement pawls 60 and the flange portion 54 are provided on the lateral face of the main body portion 52. The engagement pawls 60 protrude outwardly in the radial direction. A back face 54a of the flange portion 54 and engagement faces 60a of the engagement pawls 60 sandwich the edge of the mounting hole provided to the mounting member 12 as shown in
The engagement pawls 60 are flexible inwardly in the radial direction. More specifically, the peripheries of the engagement pawls 60 are provided with elasticity, because the periphery of each engagement pawl 60 except the lower portion, that is the both sides and the upper portion of each engagement pawl. 60 are formed thinly to thereby form the thin-wall portion 66 as shown in
When the damper 10 is mounted on the mounting member 12, the engagement pawls 60 warp inwardly in the radial direction when passing through the mounting hole. In the case of the engagement pawls having a free end, if the engagement pawls are warped inwardly because of improper mounting, the engagement pawls may not recover from that state. The engagement pawls 60 according to the present embodiment include no free end but include the thin-wall portions 66. Thus, the engagement pawls 60 can be prevented from being caught by the spring member 40 or the like when it is warped. Inner walls 60b of the engagement pawl 60 are separated from the outer circumference of the spring member 40 by a distance such that the engagement pawls 60 can warp inwardly when inserted into the mounting hole.
The retained portion 28 is retained by the retaining hole 68 provided in the center of the bottom portion 64 as shown in
The damper 10 has a simple structure such as including the rod-like shaft portion 24, the spring member 40 surrounding the shaft portion 24, the case member 50 surrounding the spring member 40 as described above, so that the outside diameter of the main body portion 52 of the damper 10 can be made smaller, thereby reducing the size of the damper 10. Reducing the size of the damper 10 can reduce the space in the box to which the damper 10 is mounted, thereby increasing the capacity of the box.
The main body portion 52 includes the plural slits 58 extending from the retaining hole 68 to the vicinity of the flange portion 54 along the axial direction as shown in
Pushing the shaft portion 24 of the pin member 20 into the retaining hole 68 at the time of assembly spreads the leg pieces 52a to open because the retained portion 28 is larger in diameter than the engagement pawls 60. When the leg pieces 52a open, the retaining hole 68 at the distal end of the leg pieces 52a is radially expanded. After the retained portion 28 passes through the retaining hole 68, the leg pieces 52a close, and the retaining hole 68 is retracted in diameter to recover. Thus, the assembly can be performed easily only by pushing the pin member 20 into the retaining hole 68 without the need of position adjustment.
The second end portion 44 of the spring member 40 abuts on the inner face of the bottom portion 64 as shown in
While engagement faces 160a of the engagement pawls 160 are continuously connected to a root portion of the flange portion 54 by thin-wall portions 166, notches 170 are provided on both the sides of the engagement pawls 160 along the engagement pawls 160. Because the upper ends of the engagement pawls 160 are connected by the thin-wall portions 166, the engagement pawls 160 can be prevented from not recovering after having been warped inwardly. The engagement pawls 160 have a high degree of flexibility to be warped inward more easily.
A retaining hole 168 according to the second modification shown in
In
The case member according to the fourth modification shown in
In a case member 550 according to the fifth modification, a main body portion 552 does not include the leg pieces 52a or the slits 58 shown in
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is also possible to add modifications such as various kinds of design changes to the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Such modified embodiments will also fall within the scope of the present invention. It is also possible to combine the modifications.
The embodiment exemplifies the configuration that the damper 10 is mounted on a box of a glove box; however, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the damper 10 may be mounted on a lid of the glove box, and may abut on and damp the edge of the box when the lid is closed.
The embodiment exemplifies the configuration that the engagement pawls 60 flexible inwardly in the radial direction are provided on the lateral face of the main body portion 52; however, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a configuration that an engagement protrusion that protrudes outwardly from the lateral face of the main body portion 52 in the radial direction does not warp inwardly in the radial direction is possible. The mounting hole provided to the mounting member 12 has the shape same as the cross-section surface of the main body portion 52 and the engagement protrusion in the radial direction so that the main body portion 52 and the engagement protrusion can pass through the mounting hole. To be specific, the mounting hole includes a notch having the shape of the engagement protrusion in addition to a circular notch having the shape of the main, body portion 52. An operator inserts the damper 10 including the engagement protrusion according to the modification into the mounting hole, and then rotates the damper 10 keeping the axial center. When the damper 10 is rotated, the engagement protrusion engages with the lower edge of the mounting hole, and the flange portion and the engagement protrusion can sandwich the edge of the mounting hole therebetween. According to this configuration, the space between the inner face of the engagement protrusion and the spring member 40 can be decreased, thereby reducing the outside diameter of the main body portion 52. The engagement portion functions as an engagement structure including the engagement protrusion and the engagement pawls 60.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SIGNS10 Damper, 12 Mounting member, 20 Pin member, 22 Head member, 24 Shaft portion, 24a Small-diameter portion, 24b Large-diameter portion, 26 Spring bearing portion, 28 Retained portion, 30 Connecting portion, 40 Spring member, 42 First end portion, 44 Second end portion, 50 Case member, 52 Main body portion, 52a Leg piece, 54 Flange portion, 56 Opening portion, 58 Slit, 60 engagement pawl, 62 Inwardly-protruding portion, 64 Bottom portion, 66 Thin-wall portion, 68 Retaining hole, 580 E-type retaining ring
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITYThe present invention relates to a damper for damping a damping-subject member when abutting on the member.
Claims
1. A damper to be mounted on a mounting hole to thereby damp a damping-subject member upon abutment therewith, the damper including:
- a case member including a main body portion, a flange portion provided at one end of the main body portion, and a bottom portion provided at the other end of the main body portion;
- a pin member including a head portion that is disposed to protrude out of an opening portion provided to the flange portion, thereby abutting on the damping-subject member, and a shaft portion having one end connected to the head portion and the other end provided with a retained portion; and
- a spring member housed in the case member while surrounding the shaft portion, the spring member having one end abutting on the pin member and the other end abutting on the case member to bias the pin member in a direction that the pin member protrudes out from the opening portion,
- wherein the bottom portion includes a retaining hole formed to receive the other end of the shaft portion to thereby retain the retained portion, and
- wherein the main body portion includes an engagement pawl protruding outwardly from a lateral face in a radial direction, the engagement pawl being flexible inwardly in the radial direction, the engagement pawl sandwiching an edge of the mounting hole with the flange portion.
2. The damper of claim 1,
- wherein the main body portion includes plural leg pieces formed by plural slits connected to the retaining hole in an axial direction.
3. The damper of any one of claim 1,
- wherein the bottom portion includes a void portion along an outer circumference of the retaining hole, and
- wherein the retaining hole is radially expandable with deformation of the void portion upon insertion of the retained portion thereinto.
4. The damper of claim 1,
- wherein the main body portion includes a connecting portion continuously connecting a engagement face of the engagement pawl and a root portion of the flange portion.
5. A damper to be mounted on a mounting hole to thereby damp a damping-subject member upon abutment therewith, the damper including:
- a case member including a main body portion, a flange portion provided at one end of the main body portion, and a bottom portion provided at the other end of the main body portion;
- a pin member including a head portion that is disposed to protrude out of an opening portion provided to the flange portion, thereby abutting on the damping-subject member, and a shaft portion having one end connected to the head portion and the other end provided with a retained portion; and
- a spring member housed in the case member while surrounding the shaft portion, the spring member having one end abutting on the pin member and the other end abutting on the case member to bias the pin member in a direction that the pin member protrudes out from the opening portion,
- wherein the main body portion includes an engagement portion formed to be mounted on the mounting hole
- wherein the bottom portion includes a retaining hole formed to receive the other end of the shaft portion to thereby retain the retained portion, and
- wherein the retaining hole is radially expandable upon insertion of the retained portion thereinto.
6. The damper of claim 5,
- wherein the main body portion includes plural leg pieces formed by plural slits connected to the retaining hole in an axial direction.
7. The damper of claim 5,
- wherein the bottom portion includes a void portion along an outer circumference of the retaining hole, and
- wherein the retaining hole is radially expandable with deformation of the void portion upon insertion of the retained portion thereinto.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 25, 2013
Date of Patent: Dec 15, 2015
Patent Publication Number: 20150176320
Assignee: PIOLAX, INC. (Yokohama-Shi, Kanagawa)
Inventor: Hisashi Nakasone (Yokohama)
Primary Examiner: Chuck Mah
Application Number: 14/416,012
International Classification: E05F 5/06 (20060101); E05F 5/02 (20060101); F16F 1/12 (20060101);